Don't be put off opera says local singer, after Chalamet's 'misguided' comments

Take one of Hollywood's hottest stars, the Oscars, two other highly respected art forms and what do you get?

A whole song and dance as the worlds of ballet and opera hit back at Timothée Chalamet ahead of his attendance at one of entertainment's most famous award shows on Sunday.

Chalamet is hoping to go home with the Best Actor gong for his performance in Marty Supreme on Sunday, but it was his comments this week that "no-one cares" about ballet or opera that has hit a bum note with many.

He may be a prospective Oscar winner, but that didn't stop those comments being "misguided", according to a 28-year-old who has made opera her life.

"Don't be put off by what he said. Opera is for everyone," Petra Wells said - and it's a view she's qualified to have.

She fell in love with opera as a child, listening to CDs in her family home before becoming "hooked" after seeing her first show aged seven.

She is now a soprano based in Belfast and has had multiple roles and solos for Northern Ireland Opera.

And, years after her love affair with the artform began, she wants people to know it's "not a dying art form".

It's a direct response to Chalamet who, in an interview with fellow actor Matthew McConaughey posted to YouTube by Variety last month, said he didn't want going to the cinema to become less popular.

"I don't want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it's like, 'Keep this thing alive even though no-one cares about this any more'," he said.

Chalamet quickly acknowledged his remarks might become contentious.

"All respect to the ballet and opera people out there," he said, adding: "I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason."

For Petra says "not to be discouraged by one person's opinion".

And, if nothing else, it's "not necessarily a bad thing he's talking about it", she adds.

From Hollywood in LA to Holywood in County Down, dancer Charlotte Fastiggi, believes ballet, dance and singing are going nowhere.

"I feel it's what brings most people together," Fastiggi, who is the Company Director and Head Teacher of Professional Academy of Dance NI says.

"Ballet and opera are not just entertainment, they are highly skilled professions and an important part of life.

"It wouldn't still be around if people didn't enjoy it," she says.

Dancer Nicole Meier, says that ballet is often referred to as the "foundation of all dance styles".

Meier, principal of The Dance Studio in Bangor, County Down, which has been open for 30 years, said that from an outsider's viewpoint it might seem theatres, as "opposed to the likes of cinemas," could be seen as outdated, but that could not be further from the truth.

"The community is actually rich, populated and thriving," she says.

"Dance is inherent- in any joyful moment, we dance. Dancers dedicate their lives to training."

Petra says there's "an appetite for opera in Northern Ireland, we just wish we could do more of it".

She says that during the Covid-19 pandemic only small crowds were allowed to attend and shows sold out with hundreds of people on the waitlist.

Then following that, a Northern Ireland performance of La Traviata sold out before it even started.

NI Opera likewise says many productions regularly sell out and pointed to more than 100 local singers auditioning for about 30 spaces in a chorus development programme.

Chief executive Cameron Menzies says Chalemet's comments reflect "a generalised and outdated view" that doesn't match how it is going from "strength to strength here in Northern Ireland".

Plus many viral TikTok sounds or trends also follow classical tunes.

"People do listen to opera, they sometimes just don't realise they're listening to it," Petra says.

Nicole Meier says ballet shows no sign of slowing down.

"At age three, the children are still very much flooding through our doors ready and eager to learn," she says.

Meir believes the future is very bright, with alumni from her studio going on to dance all over the world.

She believes this will continue for "many more, beautiful years to come."

Charlotte Fastiggi agrees that ballet and opera play a role in Northern Ireland's cultural landscape.

In fact, because Northern Ireland is small and performers may not have the same access to to large-scale productions like England and other parts of the UK she says supporting the arts is all the more important.

Young performers need to "feel inspired and see that these career paths are possible".

"I see first-hand how many aspiring young ballet dancers there are in Northern Ireland," she adds.

As for Petra, she said opera has a "reputation for being this snobby thing that you have to wear a tuxedo and diamonds to".

"If you want to go to the Opera House in September in your floor length gown, power to you, do it," she said.

"But, at the same time, it's not like that

"It's just about experiencing live music that makes you feel good or feel something."

And what would she say to Chalamet? It starts with him getting to his local opera house, theatre or performance.

"See the audiences filling the seats, see the people smiling, clapping on their feet".